Speaking in a statement obtained by Us Weekly, Hudson said: "It was the greatest honour of my life to be able to be the one to pay tribute to Whitney's memory, It was from my heart. I haven't stopped crying since she passed. Her family is in my prayers."

Jennifer Lopezhas also commented on Whitney's death, telling Jay Leno: "I met her a couple of times and obviously when I heard the news I was as shocked and devastated as everybody else.

"She was such a big part of me growing up and musically everything I knew. She was kind of the pinnacle of a voice of our time and our generation. It's just so sad."

Lopez added: "I couldn't believe it. I was in my living room and was on the phone with my manager. We'd just hung up and he called back one second later... I hate talking about it, it's sad."